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Apr 13, 2012

Hospital News

Fremont, CA, April 13, 2012- This week, Dr. Ash Jain, a well known cardiologist practicing at Washington
Hospital, performed the first of its kind angioplasty procedure in the
country for Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) using a drug-eluting
balloon instead of the traditional stent. This drug-eluting balloon has
demonstrated significant reductions in recurrence of a blocked artery
compared to the more common procedure using a stent. Additionally, the
new procedure allows patients with peripheral arterial disease to undergo
treatment without having a foreign object, the stent, being left in the body.

“This procedure is a step towards ideal treatment: that is, opening
up a blockage and keeping it open forever,” said Ash Jain, MD, cardiologist,
Medical Director of Invasive Vascular Imaging, Medical Co-Director of
Cardiac Care Service, Medical Co-Director of Vascular Services Program.
“This procedure is better than current treatments because we leave
no foreign materials behind in the body, and we get a good, if not better
outcome for the patient.”

The patient who underwent the procedure is recovering well and early indications
show that the operation was successful.

P.A.D. is generally associated with blocked arteries of the legs, but it
can also affect the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your
head, arms, kidneys and stomach. The blockage is most often the result
of a chronic buildup of hard fatty material into the inside lining of
the arterial wall of the legs. P.A.D. also increases one’s risk
for heart attack and stroke. Until now, treatment consisted of inserting
a catheter with a balloon at the tip into the artery. The balloon is inflated,
compressing the fatty material and making more room for blood flow. Then,
a stent is placed inside this area to keep the artery from closing again.

Now, there is an efficacious stent-free approach that has resulted in consistent
clinical improvements. The new treatment has many advantages, including
removing the need for a stent to keep the artery open. As a result, patients
improved more with less relapses than similar patients who were treated
with a stent.

“Washington Hospital is proud to be on the cutting edge of new procedures
that will dramatically improve patient care and health,” said Nancy
Farber, CEO. “This is just one example of how our hospital and medical
community are translating state of the art technology into advanced patient
care.”